militarywikiaorg-20200222-history
August Thiele
|death_date= |birth_place=Charlottenburg |death_place=Mölln |image=Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L17874, Thiele (crop).jpg |caption=August Thiel |allegiance= (to 1918) (to 1933) |branch= |serviceyears=1912–1945 |rank=Vizeadmiral |commands=Minesweeper M 111 [[Gorch Fock (1933)|SSS Gorch Fock]] [[USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)|SSS Horst Wessel]] [[German cruiser Deutschland|heavy cruiser Lützow]] Kampfgruppe "Thiele" |unit= |battles= World War I *Battle of Jutland World War II *Operation Weserübung *Battle of Drøbak Sound *Courland Pocket |awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves }} August Adolf Karl Hermann Thiele (3 March 1894 – 2 November 1967) was a Vizeadmiral with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and commander of the heavy cruiser "Lützow". He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ( ). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Kapitän zur See Thiele received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his command of the heavy cruiser ''Lützow'' and his leadership of Kampfgruppe V (5th battle group) during the occupation of Oslo. Thiele had taken command of the battle group after the sinking of ''Blücher''.Dörr 1996, p. 282. He was promoted to Vizeadmiral (Vice Admiral) on 1 April 1943 and was appointed commander of the Kampfgruppe II (2nd battle group) in the Baltic Sea on 28 July 1944 and commander of Kampfgruppe "Thiele" on 23 March 1945. With the heavy cruiser ''Prinz Eugen'', ''Admiral Hipper'', ''Admiral Scheer'' and Lützow, and the ships of the line ''Schlesien'' and ''Schleswig-Holstein'' and the light cruisers ''Emden'', ''Köln'', ''Leipzig'' and ''Nürnberg'' he participated from sea in the land battles for Courland and in Samland. Awards * Iron Cross (1914) ** 2nd Class (8 January 1916)Dörr 1996, p. 285. ** 1st Class (29 June 1919) * Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg (30 May 1918) * Cross of Honor * Wehrmacht Long Service Award 1st Class (5 March 1937) * Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) ** 2nd Class (14 April 1940) ** 1st Class (15 April 1940) * High Seas Fleet Badge (1940) * Naval Front Clasp in Bronze (12 April 1945) * German Cross in Gold on 9 March 1945 as Vizeadmiral in Kampfgruppe "Thiele"Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 473. * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 18 January 1941 as Kapitän zur See and commander of heavy cruiser "Lützow"Fellgiebel 2000, p. 421.Scherzer 2007, p. 741. ** 824th Oak Leaves on 14 April 1945 as Vizeadmiral and commander of Kampfgruppe "Thiele"Fellgiebel 2000, p. 101. References ;Citations ;Bibliography * Dörr, Manfred (1996). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 2: L–Z (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-2497-2. * * * * External links * * * Category:1893 births Category:1981 deaths Category:People from Charlottenburg Category:German military personnel of World War I Category:Kriegsmarine admirals Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914) Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross, 1st class Category:Recipients of the Hanseatic Cross (Hamburg) Category:Recipients of the Gold German Cross Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Category:German prisoners of war Category:World War II prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom Category:Imperial German Navy personnel Category:Reichsmarine personnel Category:People from the Province of Brandenburg